Herakles (Safran Group) has developed new types of high explosives for several years in its Le Bouchet research centre (France). Currently Multiphase Blast eXplosives (MBX) are being investigated within the scope of two research projects. We have shown experimentally that the introduction of an important mass content of reactive particles (e.g. aluminum) increased significantly the blast effects by producing an additional amount of energy, which is then released during the expansion of the detonation products. This new family of explosive compositions is called Enhanced Blast eXplosives (EBX). We have also shown recently that the use of dense inert particles incorporated in explosive formulations could lead to much better control of the lethal area around the target. Indeed, Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME) produce an increased impulse effect (blast + particles) in near field, whereas these effects are dramatically decreased in far field. Fully integrated into these projects, is the development of experimental facilities to characterize these new types of explosives, as well as new numerical models designed to take into account the specific aspects of multiphase detonation products behaviour. As a consequence, a whole new methodology combining experiments and calculations is being created to better characterize and predict the effects delivered by these new families of high explosives. This article deals with the experimental development of the study.
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